


Fetch!

by deltachye



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Werewolf, F/M, Fluff, Reader-Insert, Romance, Romantic Comedy, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, i swEaR tO gOd iTs nOt A fuRrY FiC!!!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-28
Updated: 2018-04-21
Packaged: 2018-11-20 12:42:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 12,846
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11335842
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/deltachye/pseuds/deltachye
Summary: [human!reader x werewolf!hinata]How did you know he was a werewolf? Well, it started with his uncomfortably high body temperature… then you noticed his penchant for scratching his head… then there was the thing about bones and playing fetch… oh yeah, and then he literally turned into a puppy at your feet.





	1. 1 - Boof

* * *

 

You had always found Hinata Shouyou interesting, to say the least.

Normally, you would’ve been placed a college preparatory class. However you had contracted an illness that quite literally sat you in a hospital bed for 4 out of 8 school months, and by the time you were well enough to actually start high school, it was too late. You decided to drop a couple of academic levels to ease the stress in order to catch up without being held back. Hinata Shouyou was the boy who had been assigned to sit next to you in Class 1-1, and it was both a blessing and a curse.

“[Name]-chan!” he chirped, drawing his chair next to yours. “Help me with the problem on the board, please?”

“Again?” you asked incredulously. Your eyes narrowed with suspicion. “You fell asleep, didn’t you.”

“H-hey, it’s not my fault!” the orange-haired boy argued insistently, a tinge of a blush coming across his cheeks. “I had practice real late last night!”

“Uh-huh,” you responded skeptically. “And you didn’t study or bother to pay attention today?”

“You know me,” he whined. “I’m not good at studying.” Suddenly he pouted, his eyes so large and puppy-dog like that your heart actually froze. “Please, [Name]-chan? You’re the only one who teaches it to me in a way I can understand…”

You scowled gruffly in a way that made you seem like you were angry, when in reality, you were mopping up mental tears. How did he always manage to persuade you with that face? Still, you didn’t want him to think he could jerk you around all the time (since he definitely could) and sighed loudly.

“Fine. I’ll help you. But just this once, okay?”

“Okay!” he practically shouted, so excited he threw his hands up in the air. “Thank you so much, [Name]-chan!” He scratched his flyaway ridden hair and then settled his head down on his hands, looking up at you expectantly for you to start. Man, he almost looked just like a dog.

Only a few hours later, you found out that you were pretty well based in that analogy.

To elaborate, you were staying behind after school to help put up posters for the school council’s annual fundraiser event. It was strange to be alone in the school after hours. The emptiness seemed amplified somehow and it put you on edge.

“I’m going to head home now, [Name]-san.”

One of the other members of the student council waved at you. You waved back.

“Okay! I’ll put up the posters Yacchan was supposed to do today and head out too.”

“It’s weird that she’s sick. Two boys in my class were sick with her.” The girl leant her head back thoughtfully. “I know they’re all in the volleyball club, but are they really that close with each other? Maybe there’s some weird stuff happening in that gym…”

“Volleyball club?” you asked, cocking your head. Hinata was on the team, too. Really, he wouldn’t shut up about it, even going so far as to carry a volleyball into his classes to “help him familiarize with the ball”. It was kind of endearing, not that you would admit it out loud. Still, the word triggered your memories. He hadn’t seemed ill today either, but he left class fairly early, apologizing for not being able to walk you home like he did most afternoons. You had thought it to be strange to see him blasting off so quickly when he always seemed so reluctant to leave your side.

“It is weird,” you concluded dismissively. “Oh well. It can’t be helped.”

“Right. See you tomorrow!”

You waved goodbye to her again before sighing, utterly alone in the hallway. You scooped up Yachi’s share of posters and headed to the next wing, turning the corner only to be stopped by two other boys on the student council. You smiled at them wearily. After all, they were known to be delinquents.

“Excuse me,” you tried, but they didn’t budge. Your blood cooled in your veins. Something was going to go wrong.

“Hey, pretty girl. Let us help you with those, huh?” One of them wrenched the posters from your arms and you let go instinctively, frowning once you did.

“Please,” you begged quietly, lowering your gaze. “I don’t know what you want with me, but I just want to be left alone…”

“Left alone?” the tallest one asked, reaching forwards and grasping your chin. You winced as his rough fingers scratched against the delicate skin of your throat. He smelt badly of tobacco. He looked at you from side to side as if examining a product on a shelf. “Nah, you’re too cute to be left alone. Ain’t you lonely?”

“No. Please…”

“How ‘bout I ease somma that loneliness, then?” He leant in close and you realized he was going to _kiss_ you. Out of all the people it could’ve happened to, it was happening to you? Tears welled in your squeezed-shut eyes and you hated yourself for not being able to do anything as his cigarette-scented lips drew closer and closer—

“[Name]-chan!”

The snarl was familiar and you realized yourself, jerking out of the nameless boy’s grasp and pushing him away. Hinata stood at the end of the hall, panting hard, still in his school uniform.

“Hinata-kun?” you asked, bewildered at the sight. “Didn't you go home? What are you doing here?”

“I felt like you were in trouble.” His brown eyes turned to the two boys who had blocked you and his gaze, which had always been soft or pure, turned acrid. “Leave.”

“You’re short, ain’t you?” the one that tried to kiss you sneer, but Hinata made a low growl in his throat that stunned everybody into silence. An apprehensive chill made hairs stand up on your skin and the tall one swallowed.

“ _Leave_ ,” Hinata spat.

“I’m only leaving because you’re u-ugly!” he stammered out in a squeaky voice. He scrambled past you to get away from Hinata, who was still glaring at them, crouched low as if he might start sprinting at them on all fours. When their footsteps receded you actually fell to the floor, your knees giving way with relief. You steadied yourself by putting your hands on the floor, breathing, having held your breath for so long that you nearly passed out.

“Thank you so much, Hinata… I don’t know what would’ve happened if you weren’t here.”

“It’s not a big deal. I’m glad you’re okay. You _are_ okay, right? I won’t forgive them if you aren’t.”

“I’m fine. They didn’t do anything because of you.” You smiled and brushed the tears from your face, looking up. “But why did you come—Hinata?”

You looked around for the boy who had seemingly disappeared. Did he run away from you? The thought stung and you got up, looking around more closely. “Hinata!” you called. Something rustled and you jumped, looking down at the floor. A pile of clothes that wasn’t there before shifted and you held back a scream, jumping away from it. Rats? _Snakes_?!

And then… a fluffy orange Pomeranian jumped out of the hoodie opening. You stared as it turned in a circle, wagging its tail absentmindedly. Since when did a dog get into the school?

“Boof,” it barked in a quietly non-committal way. It stared at you and you stared at it.

“That’s weird,” you mused out loud to yourself. “That dog looks a lot like—”

You gasped suddenly, dropping back down to your knees and grasping the dog on either side of its face. It stared back at you with human-like… brown eyes.

“Hinata?! Hinata, is that you?!”

“Boof,” the dog muttered again, in a way that could be understood in a human tongue as _shit_.


	2. 2 - Woof

“I really wish you had told me you were a dog-shifter werewolf thing _before_ this happened,” you groaned, power walking through the rain. You hadn’t wanted to let the now furry Pomeranian-Hinata walk in the muddy ground, so you were carrying him in your arms, his discarded jacket slung over your head as a makeshift umbrella. You’d been too uncomfortable to grab _all_ of his clothes, having already seen more than you wanted to of his choice in undergarments. He didn’t weigh as much as a normal person in this ‘form’, or whatever you wanted to call it, but it was still straining. Besides, you were still too mind-boggled to have the strength to carry medium-sized dogs around in cold weather. He yipped quietly in a guilty tone. _My bad_ , or something along those lines.

He was incredibly warm through his fur, and it helped you cope as you walked along in the rainstorm. You couldn’t really converse much with a dog, what with the whole species gap. He seemed to understand you find and if you looked at his eyes, it didn't look like those of a dog’s. The Pomeranian’s eyes looked intelligent, bright… well, they looked just like Hinata’s eyes.

“When do you become human again?” you asked, knowing just how insane you looked as a girl talking to a dog in the middle of the night. He squirmed, pointing his nose up. You followed his gaze and saw the brightness of the moon, hidden behind the fog of storm clouds. He squirmed in your arms.

“In the morning?” you guessed. He barked affirmatively. You sighed. “Okay, well… I don’t know where your house is, and you can’t really tell me as a dog. And I don’t think you can write with your paws. So I’ll have to take you to my house. Sorry…”

A questioning bark. You kept walking, hugging him closer to your chest. “My parents will probably be okay with it, but I really hope they don’t notice when you turn back into a human. I won’t be able to explain it.”

A mournful bark. You looked down, watching his legs swing in the air. This was probably humiliating enough for him. You didn’t really know the rules of this whole werewolf thing, but he probably wasn’t supposed to show you. Your steps slowed as you hesitated.

“Thank you… for saving me back there. I don’t know what would’ve happened if you didn’t come along.”

His muscles twitched under the fur. You kept going, smiling a bit to yourself, and hugged him closer to your chest.

He barked. _No problem. I really like you! More than a friend!_ he said desperately.

“It is cold, isn’t it?” you replied cheerfully, your good mood restored. Hinata huffed through his nose, turning his eyes back up to the full moon mournfully, resisting the urge to howl in despair.

\---

You begged with your parents to let you keep the cold doggy in your room, just for the night. Hinata didn’t transform with a collar, much to your despair and his annoyance: _Woof! Who the hell is a magical being with a collar, woof?_ Still, his puppy-dog eyes and sad droopy tail got your soft-hearted father to cave, and you were told to give him a bath first.

“This is weird, isn’t it?” you asked, feeling like you were talking to yourself as you rubbed him behind the ears. A contented growl emerged from Pomeranian-Hinata’s chest and it still startled you, because it was so similar to his happy humming when he had a big lunch to eat. Your hands paused in his shampooed fur. 

“It must’ve been hard for you to hide this for so long,” you realized aloud, resuming your scrubbing hastily. “I’m sorry… I wish you could’ve told me.”

“Woof,” he barked quietly. He raised a paw at you and his toenails clacked against the edge of your tub. _Why are you saying sorry? It’s not your fault. It’s mine._

“Oh, sure, I’ll rinse you off now. Close your eyes!” You sprayed him with the powerful burst of your showerhead and he stood in your bath, the disgruntled expression not lost on his canine features.

\---

“Um… I don’t really know what kind of beds werewolves like,” you admitted. Hinata paced your room, stopping in front of your closet. You opened it and he eagerly jumped on top of the pile of outgrown clothes you had left folded on the lower shelf for ages. You took them out and arranged them in a pile, dropping a pillow in the middle. Hinata settled himself under a cheesy ‘Olive You!’ graphic t-shirt from third grade and looked content enough, his tail thumping against the floor rhythmically. You sat beside him, feeling like you wanted to pet him again, but thought that it’d be rude if you did.

“When I wake up tomorrow morning, do you promise to explain?” you asked. His eyelids fluttered at you and a sound came from his throat. He nodded his little head.

“Shake on it?” you asked, holding out your hand before pausing. “Wait. That’s probably rude. Sorry.”

Hinata seemed to laugh and put his paw in your hand. It was warm, the padding underneath his paw feeling just like his calloused volleyball-weathered hands. You felt yourself blushing and dropped his paw, getting up and into your bed.

“Good night, Hinata.”

“ _Woof_.”

You laughed to yourself quietly at the ridiculousness of the situation. With all that had happened, you didn’t think you could fall asleep, but you were so exhausted that you did. Hinata, exhausted by his activities post-transformation, fell asleep soon after. The both of you took comfort in each other’s breathing.

But Hinata forgot to mention that when he changed back, he’d do so naked… which led to an extremely awkward morning-after encounter.


	3. 3 - Arf

Somehow, the both of you had evaded your mother and made it outdoors. You’d lent him your most masculine clothes, consisting of a too-small unisex hoodie and tight-fitting basketball shorts. He apologized profusely the whole way there, but you weren’t able to say anything back. He was a human that could turn into a dog. You’d seen… everything. What the hell was weirder than that? 

“I know you probably have a lot of questions, but I have to ask you to keep quiet about this. Otherwise, Daichi-san’ll have my throat…”

“Daichi-san?” you asked, blinking yourself out of your stunned reverie. “Who’s that?” 

“H-huh? Oh. Well, I guess it’s too late to keep anything from you now.” Hinata scratched his hair sheepishly, and you couldn’t help but see an overlap of the Pomeranian scratching itself with its hind leg. “He’s my pack leader. But he’s also a third year at Karasuno.”

“Pack?” you repeated incredulously. “So there are _more_ of you? And he goes to our school?!”

“Yeah. Quite a few do, actually! I’m going to have to take you to meet them this morning.”

“Is that why we left so early?” you realized. School didn’t start until eight, but the sun had barely risen yet, tickling the baby blue sky with finger strokes of bright pink. Hinata nodded and shrugged, and you could see a ghostly image of a fluffy tail fall between his legs.

“There’s practice this morning. Plus, I need a change of clothes…”

“Practice?” you asked nervously. “P-practice for what…?” Images of wolf hunts came to mind and you shivered, afraid that his other pack members would turn into things somewhat nastier than a Pomeranian. Hinata merely gave you a strange look with those large, innocent eyes.

“Volleyball. What else?”

\---

“Hinata, you freaking _dumbass_!”

You cringed. Hinata was being busy getting yelled at by quite literally everybody in the room. You sat formally on your legs on the cushion provided to you in the boy’s change room as the others wrestled with Hinata, pinning him to the floor. You winced as Hinata yelped frantically.

“I-I’m sorry! It’s just that she was in danger and I couldn’t leave in time before I changed forms!”

You remained silent again, shock and surprise eating up most of your words as you stared. You _recognized_ most of the people there. Yachi, for starters, kept glancing to you nervously and wringing her hands. Then there was Kageyama, and Tsukishima, and even Yamaguchi—how had all of your classmates and fellow first-years kept this from you? From everybody?

“[Name]—can I call you that?”

The ‘pack leader’, Sawamura Daichi, sat in front of you as a shaved headed boy gave Hinata what looked to be a devastating wedgie. You winced, drawing your attention away from the grotesque murder scene to the third year.

“Yes, that’s fine…”

“I’m sure you’re probably dying to ask questions. I’ll try to answer them as best as I can, so don’t hold back, okay?” 

He didn’t look very dog like. He looked as humanoid as guys could get. He had a square jaw and strong, reliable arms as well as a perfectly normal smile. His teeth were somewhat pointed oddly, but otherwise, you didn’t see him as any different. You wondered if he transformed into a German Shepherd.

“Are there more of your kind that aren’t here?” you questioned, leaning forwards.

“Not at this school. We can tell if somebody’s a werewolf. It’s in the sense of smell.” He tapped his nose and it suddenly made sense as to how Hinata always knew what was being served in the cafeteria despite being a floor away. Daichi continued easy-goingly, his simple way of manner enough to calm your anxieties a bit. “But there’s werewolves everywhere. Other kinds of shapeshifters, too, since some people can shapeshift into different animals, too. There’s a few groups in Tokyo that shift into cats and owls instead of dogs. I’m sure there’s a whole bunch of other shape shifters that we’ve never met, too, all around the world.”

“Um… are there evil packs or vampires like in the movies?”

It was an innocent question, but a boy laughed, making your face turn bright red. Somebody got off the dog pile (pun unintended) that was crushing Hinata and sat in front of you. He had a youthful face and tall, spiky hair with a patch that was bleached. His smile made you feel like the laugh hadn’t been cruel minded and you relaxed slightly.

“There’s evil people everywhere, my friend. But don’t fret! Most werewolves are good and keep to themselves. We don’t transform into bloodthirsty things like in the movies—that’s Hollywood. We’re just part dog, part human, you see?” He pointed a thumb to his chest. “I’m Nishinoya, part Boston Terrier!”

He pointed to various people around the room, introducing their name and… dog breed. You couldn’t help but wonder how the ice-breaking games went at werewolf pre-k. Your head was spinning, but you held onto a couple. Kageyama was a Doberman and the biggest one, Asahi, was a mastiff. Yachi was a Yorkie and Yamaguchi was a Chihuahua. Nishinoya explained how the whole ‘eating hearts’ thing was a silly myth, and that cinnamon hearts actually gave him terrible allergies—Sugawara, another one of the group, told Nishinoya to shut up before he could tell you what his swollen tongue looked like in depth. In your eyes, you didn’t see them as threats. They just seemed like a normal group of friends, who all really liked eating bacon more than the average person did. 

“Okay,” you said after they’d all finished having a go. “That’s nice and all. But um… what does this have to do with me, now?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” Nishinoya asked, blinking. “You’re mating with Hinata, aren’t you? That means you’re one of us!”

“Mating…?” you repeated sleepily with a dumb smile on your face. To yourself, you nodded, as if to affirm that things were way too weird to comprehend. “Okay. Nevermind, I don’t really get this at all.”

“She fainted!?”

“Quick, water! Water!”

“Hinata, you freakin’ _dumbass_!”


	4. 4 - Ruff

“I’m sorry,” Hinata said again, his shoulders slumped. The group hadn’t banned him from practice, since they apparently had an important game coming up with a school called Nekoma—but he was still put onto the sidelines to ride pine for the time being. You had come to before they’d dumped water on your face—thank God—but you still felt a bit dizzy fro the sudden onslaught of information. 

“It’s not your fault,” you reassured, for it wasn’t. Hinata had saved you from an unspeakable doom, and yet, he was being punished. You didn’t think that that was any fair. Still, you had an insurmountable amount of questions, and shifted in your seat.

“Why did they think I was… um, _mating_ you?” you asked, cringing at the words. Hinata was blushing, scratching his head nervously. The sounds of volleyballs hitting the floor sounded a bit like his tail hitting the ground.

“W-well, it’s getting close to spring, isn’t it? I think they just assumed th-that… that I was… since you were…”

He seemed like he was about to faint right then and there, so you stopped him from talking any further. You let out a sigh instead.

“I can get that. Well… no, I can’t… but I think I’ll just stop asking.” You shook your head and hurriedly tried to move the stale conversation along. “Um, what does ‘mate’ even mean to you, Hinata-kun? Is it like marriage?”

“It’s more than that,” Hinata replied, setting his head down on his knees. He looked onto the court and pointed out one of the setters, the light-haired Sugawara that turned into a Retriever. You watched one of them spike the ball, the blur whizzing into the opposite court. An eruption of cheers echoed throughout the gym, and you couldn’t help a smile. They were all so supportive of each other.

“Suga-san and Daichi-san—that one over there, see—they’ve been mates for longer than I’ve known them. It’s more than just dating. And it’s more than marriage, too. It’s a lifelong bond. It’s kind of like… soulmates, I guess. Relationships mean a lot more to us than they do to other people.” He twiddled with his thumbs restlessly. “Most pack-based shapeshifters are super focused on teamwork, which is why we do so well at sports.”

“Didn’t Daichi-san say something about that? How there are other shapeshifters?”

Hinata nodded. “We’re getting ready to play at a training camp with Nekoma, and they’re half-cat. I know a few from Fukurodani who turn into owls.”

“Are you kidding?” you gasped, “are _all_ sports teams shape-shifters?”

“No… but the swim team is part fish.”

“Oh. No wonder Aya-chan got so offended when I brought sashimi in for lunch,” you mused, feeling quite guilty now that you realized you were probably eating her distant cousins. You sighed before noticing that Hinata was fidgeting again, his eyes following the ball, tracing circles around the room. 

“You really want to play, don’t you?” you asked, a bit amused as his head followed the ball. He turned to you, surprised.

“Yeah, I do. But I get why I’m not allowed. I ruined the whole ‘don’t let anybody else find us out’ thing…” His head slumped forwards onto his knees again, an actual pout on his face.

“Um… I’m sure Daichi-san won’t mind if we go outside and I throw the ball up for you, right? You look really restless.”

“Really?!” He perked up immediately. “You’d do that for me?”

You shrugged, suddenly shy as his excitement broke the charts. His deep brown eyes gleamed with happiness and you waved him off, an embarrassed blush coming onto your face. “I-I’m not that good or anything, so don’t expect fancy tricks from me…”

“Thanks, [Name]-chan! You’re the best!” 

You got a spare ball from Yachi, who graciously dug it out of the cart when you asked. Teasingly, you gently rolled the ball out the door past him.

“Fetch!” you said, as a joke. To your surprise, Hinata practically _disappeared_ , whizzing out the door. You froze, unaware that people could move that past. Was that even possible? Or do shapeshifters teleport, too? You saw him before you even heard his footsteps, the ball clutched in his hands as he screeched to a stop in front of you. 

“Sorry,” he realized, looking down at it. He scratched his head sheepishly. “I always bring things back to people after they throw it away. It’s a bad habit.”

“You must be the worst to people who are trying to throw away their garbage.”

“Oh, uh, yeah… but it stops littering.”

You couldn’t help but laugh. Despite the whole ridiculousness of this situation, you were just now realizing how it all fit. Really, you should’ve been able to figure it out sooner. You took the ball back from Hinata, and smiled at him. The world was bigger and even more magical than you’d thought, and you had him to thank for that.

“You should’ve joined track,” you told him as the both of you walked outside. “You’re fast!”

“R-really? You really think so, [Name]-chan?”

Yamaguchi and Tsukishima noticed the two of you leaving, chattering away as they were getting their water break. Yamaguchi grinned up at Tsukishima, who was also watching them leave with a distantly sour expression.

“Jealous, Tsukki-chan?”

“He already said that she wasn’t his mate. She’s not even a shapeshifter, she’s just some regular girl that Hinata screwed up and shifted in front of. And no, I’m not jealous. Shut up, Yamaguchi.”

Ennoshita, who had been listening in, joined the conversation with a snicker.

“Aw, are you mad that Hinata found his mate and you haven’t? Poor Tsukishima. That’s ruff, budd—”

“Shut _up_!”


	5. 5 - Yip

You weren’t exactly sure why the Karasuno Boys Volleyball Team had invited you to the training camp, since you weren’t exactly a part of the team. They were so friendly and earnest about it, however, that you just couldn’t refuse. You joined up with Yachi and the older manager, Kiyoko, agreeing to help with the menial duties such as towels and water. 

You also didn’t anticipate that you’d end up sitting beside Hinata, but everybody else had set themselves up in such a way that the only spot left was next to him. You didn’t mind that, of course, but it was a bit too obvious. The thought made for a stiff tension between the two of you, and his words kept ringing in your head like church bells.

_“Mates are kind of like soulmates, I guess.”_

Your eyes kept darting over every now and then to check on his expression. He kept staring out the window sullenly, not even moving once. You had expected him to liven up at some point during the long drive, returning to his usual upbeat self, but he didn’t bother to try and talk to you. It was like he’d deflated. Or maybe it was _you_. You were too nervous to try and start a conversation yourself, twiddling your thumbs anxiously. What would you even say? What could you even begin to apologize for?

So, you just pretended to be asleep instead in order to avoid your responsibilities. 

At some point, you actually did pass out, and found yourself to be shaken awake gently. You opened your eyes groggily, peering up at Hinata’s face, which seemed very large when it was so close to yours. His hair tickled your forehead, and there was a warm but hard surface on your cheek. You straightened up as if electrified.

“Sorry! I didn’t mean to fall asleep on your shoulder!” you yelped, feeling a rush of heat rise up your neck. His complexion seemed to match yours as he shook his head furiously.

“It’s fine! I didn’t mind!”

It was a flurried back-and-forth of apologies before you finally gave in, bowing your head sheepishly. Hinata kept scratching his head, his eyes conveniently turned away from yours. 

“W-well, we’re almost there. Which is why I woke you up. Sorry for that…”

“You don’t have to apologize,” you murmured. You were just glad that he was talking to you again. When he said nothing in response, you desperately blurted out the first thing that came to mind in order to keep the conversation alive.

“Is it really okay that I come along? I mean, I don’t know much about volleyball, and I don’t play, either.”

“Of course it’s okay,” he replied, looking surprised. “Nobody ever said that extra help was a bad thing. Besides, I’m kind of glad that you’re here.”

“You are?” you asked. “Why?”

“I just… um, I just feel like I’ll play better. That’s all. That sounded stupid, though… agh!” He hit himself on the forehead, and you jumped, shocked. “I’m an idiot! Sorry.”

“W-well,” you stammered, “if me being here helps you, then I’ll gladly cheer you on! Okay?”

He lifted his hand, the raised red mark looking comical on his face. Still, he seemed to have perked up, and you imagined little fluffy ears shooting up into the air.

“You will?”

“Of course I will, Hinata-kun.”

He grinned, sharp teeth and all. “Just Hinata, [Name]-chan. Thanks. Really.”

You instantly felt better seeing him look happier, and wondered just how hard you had fallen into this when a mere smile from him could fill you with such joy.

Then he barfed on you.

\---

“Is he okay?” you asked worriedly. Luckily, the others had already anticipated that this would happen, and had packed spare clothes for the unfortunate people that might’ve landed in Hinata’s range of fire. The old shirt was huge on you, but you didn’t even care about yourself, worriedly hovering around the others to hear word.

“He’s fine,” the shaved-headed Pitbull Tanaka said loudly, waving you off. “This happens all the time because he forgets to take motion sickness pills.”

“I feel so bad,” you whimpered. “He looked so sick.”

“He’ll be back on his feet right away. Especially since such a cute girl is worrying after him.” He patted you on the head fondly. “Will you let him know that we’re in the gym?”

The others had gone on ahead, since traffic had made the entire group late. Tanaka had offered to stay behind with you, but the team would need him eventually. You nodded quickly.

“Of course. I’ll tell him and make sure he’s okay.”

“Thanks!” He darted off towards the gym, and you sighed, looking back to the men’s room’s door. You paced rivets into the floor as you waited. He looked so terrible, pale-faced and weak, and your heart lurched at the memory. They’d all told you not to worry, that this happened all the time—but you still felt sick to your own stomach at the thought of Hinata suffering any pain.

You had half a mind to barge in yourself just to check on him, but lost your nerve as another boy appeared in the hall. He looked at you curiously, and then to the door.

“Waiting for somebody?” he asked. Too deep in your thoughts, you blinked, staring at him.

“S-sorry, what?”

“Are you waiting for somebody in there?” he said again, sounding friendly enough. He had an easy going smile on his face and spiky tufts of black hair. You didn’t recognize him, but he looked around your age. Your shoulders slumped.

“Yeah…”

“I can call for them if you’d like,” he offered. He held a hand out. “Date Masamune.”

“Like the samurai?” you commented, shaking his hand. His grip was strong and his touch lingered on your skin, a faint ghostly warmth that made your skin tingle. He laughed, his grin a bit lopsided.

“Yeah, I get that a lot. My dad loves samurai movies. It’s kind of embarrassing, in my opinion.”

“It’s a nice name,” you replied. Wrly, you added as an afterthought, “I just hope you won’t contract esophageal cancer.”

“You’re a smart girl,” he drawled, seeming impressed. “Are you from around here?”

“No,” you admitted. “A few hours away. I’m from Torono Town.”

“Cute,” he said, taking you off guard as he smiled again. You weren’t used to getting brazen compliments so openly like this. “A mountain girl?”

Shyly, you nodded. “I-I suppose…”

“You never gave me your name,” he said, taking a step forward. The tingly feeling he had given your hand felt like it was spreading to the rest of your body, making you break out in a sweat. 

“Oh. It’s—”

“[Name]-chan?”

The door of the restroom swung open and you saw Hinata, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. He still looked haggard, but his eyes shone with an emotion you couldn’t quite discern. Date’s expression didn’t falter, but his smile merely seemed to grow.

“I knew I smelled you!” he exclaimed almost shamelessly loud, pointing down at the orange haired boy. “Hinata Shouyou. Pomeranian? It’s been awhile!”

“It hasn’t been long enough,” Hinata replied acridly, with a hatred that you could barely recognize from the warm and gentle boy. “I never wanted to see your face again, Date. Keep your voice down.”

Date sniffled, in the way a dog would nose around. “How rude. We used to be best friends, Shouyou-cchi.”

“Key word: used to.” Hinata’s eyes moved from him to you and then back again. His gaze was full of darkness and you flinched nervously. He came to you, grabbing your wrist roughly. “We’re going.”

“Who is he?” you whispered under your breath, having no choice but to jog along as Hinata pulled you behind him. You looked back to Date, who watched you go with his hands in his pockets. Hinata made a growling noise deep in his chest again, and you felt the hairs on your neck stand up as his fingers twitched against your skin.

“He’s a… solo, I guess. Another dog shapeshifter, but he got kicked out of every pack because of his personality. He’s dangerous. Did you talk to him?”

“Not really…”

“Did you?” Hinata demanded, pulling up to a sudden stop. The bitterness in his tone was uncharacteristic, and you had a fleeting fear that you didn’t know him as well as you had thought.

“I didn’t,” you replied, tearfully. His grip on your arm hurt, but you didn’t have the courage to tell him to let go of you. He seemed to notice and slackened his fingers, until he dropped your hand entirely.

“I’m sorry,” he muttered, his gaze falling. “I just… he’s not a good person. I got worried.”

“I’m sorry too. I didn’t know.” You shifted on your feet before remembering. “Oh! Speaking of worrying—how are _you_? Do you feel better?”

“Wh-what? Me? Yeah, of course—ack! I never apologized for throwing up on you—I’m so sorry!” He bowed rigidly in front of you. “I’m sorry! Please forgive me!”

Relief fell over you as you saw his old personality return. Still, animals could smell fear, and Hinata knew that he could never apologize enough for that split second where you had become afraid of him. But he didn’t say anything just yet. He’d have a long way to go before he could make it up to you, but he planned on doing just that.

Meanwhile, Date Masamune licked his lips, the taste of your scent sweet on his palate.


	6. 6 - Bork

After the training camp was wrapped and done, the group was packed to head back home. You didn’t expect to have so much fun, but the other high schoolers were so friendly and energetic that you couldn’t help but get wrapped up in it all. Despite not knowing much about volleyball alongside being a non-shapeshifter enitrely, they accepted you into their world wholeheartedly, and even did tricks where they morphed into their respective animal counterpart on the spot. There were restrictions to this whole shifting business, though, as you were beginning to learn. Members of the Karasuno Volleyball Club (part human, part dog) were unlucky in that they could only transform involuntarily during full-moons. The owls from Fukurodani could only do so at night, and the cats of Nekoma could only hold their other form for a few hours at most. Still, it was a sight for the ages to see a six-foot teenage boy leap into the air and come back down as a lanky Russian Blue. Hinata was particularly fond of the Tabby named Kenma, and you found it interesting to see their opposing energies find a balanced middle-ground. 

You were really disappointed when it came to an end, and you were still feeling down during the bus ride home. Opposite to the unruly liveliness that had been present when everybody was heading towards Tokyo, everyone was completely knocked out on the way home, having had played so many matches one after the other. Hinata was no exception, his head bouncing as he tried to keep from nodding off beside you. You couldn’t help yourself and reached over, gently pulling his head to your shoulder so that he wouldn’t damage his neck. Embarrassingly so, your heart hammered in your chest when you felt his spiky hair prickle the sensitive skin of your neck. You listened to him snore away in your ear, and the comforting sound finally soothed you enough to nod off on your own.

“Hey, everybody. Wake up! We’re nearly there, so start calling your folks.”

Coach Ukai’s loud voice roused everybody without difficulty and the bus was suddenly full of chorused groans and moans. You woke with a start, feeling Hinata shift on your shoulder as well. The both of you met each other’s tired gazes and you grinned sheepishly.

“Sorry. I used you as a pillow again.”

“That’s okay. You should try when I’m in my dog form. I’m the fluffiest one here!” 

You couldn’t help but laugh at his pride and blown-out chest with the statement. He really lived life to its fullest. He pouted back when he saw you fail to choke back your giggles.

“Hey, it’s true!”

“Okay, I don’t doubt it… but it’s too bad.” Your smile died on your face and he noticed, his own faltering with concern.

“What do you mean, [Name]-chan?”

“I-I mean. You guys asked for my help during the training camp, but you already have two managers. There’s no need for me to hang around. Especially when I’m not a shape-shifter. Right?” You laughed nervously to try and lighten the mood, but there was really no denying it. The thought of having to leave behind these magical creatures and genuinely likable people because you were too _ordinary_ to fit in was depressing. Your head bowed a bit, making you unable to see the confusion knitting together Hinata’s brow.

“Of course you’re still going to be around. You were a great help! I’m sure Daichi-senpai or Coach wouldn’t mind if you joined the pack officially.”

“But… what?” you gasped. “That’d be so much trouble for everybody!”

“Don’t think about it that way! Packs are family. After all, you’re one of us now, aren’t you?”

You couldn’t help but feel hot tears well in your eyes. The absolute kindness that everybody—especially Hinata—had shown you was completely overwhelming. He noticed the glossiness in your expression and looked close to panic, waving his hands around you like he could dispel our tears with sheer willpower.

“H-hey, wait, don’t cry! Was it something I said? I’m sorry, I didn’t—!”

“No, it’s… I’m happy. Thank you, Hinata-kun. This really means a lot.”

“Sh-Shouyou is fine. If you’d like.” Shyly, he scratched his ear, moving his gaze from you and the ground so that he wouldn’t stare for too long. It was charming to see him look at you with those puppy-dog eyes (literally). You perked up with that and hastily wiped the tear from your cheek, embarrassed for being such a crybaby. Hinata’s kindness warmed your heart and you nodded with newfound purpose.

“Okay, Shouyou!”

“Hey, speaking of. Since the moon is still pretty full, we were all thinking of doing a pack exercise at the dog park tomorrow night. You should come, too. We can even do your initiation then!”

“Of course I’ll come... but what do you mean by ‘initiation’?” you asked, a bit nervous by the daunting vagueness behind the word. You had an image of them sending you out to hunt in the forest for prey. Hinata grinned, his canines sharp.

“Don’t worry, you’ll find out then.”

“Um… okay.” With a bit of a sigh, you put your curiosity and nerves aside. As you were starting to learn time after time, you were going to be surprised no matter what, so you might as well just trust them. Giving your faith to Hinata with that smile on his face wasn’t very hard at all, so you didn’t mind.

“But you guys are just going to be running around as dogs in the dark?” you asked, suddenly concerned at the idea of bystanders watching a huge, mismatched group of domestic dog breeds flounder in a field together. It’d look like somebody quite literally let the dogs out of a nearby pound. “Won’t people find it weird?”

“Uh… maybe. But it’ll be late, so there aren’t very many people outside. Besides, who _wouldn’t_ like a whole bunch of dogs? People just end up taking pictures of us anyways. It’s kind of demeaning to us, but oh well…”

“I see. Well, I think I like Pomeranians the most, now.” Before you could say anything to trump that cheesiness, your phone buzzed, and you figured it was your mom calling to pick you up. A quick glance at the screen confirmed it. “Oh, I have to take this. Sorry.”

You turned away to answer privately, missing Hinata’s expression as he nearly fainted against the window, red-faced and grinning idiotically to himself.

\---

You got home within the hour and said goodbye to everybody else at school. They were enthusiastic about having a human supervise their ‘pack exercise’, and Sugawara-senpai had even gone so far as to give you a hug to welcome you into the pack. Although everybody kept you in the dark about what ‘initiation’ meant for you, you had a sneaking suspicion that you were going to be throwing a lot of sticks for them that night. Your phone buzzed when you were putting stuff onto your desk and you realized it was Hinata. His name flashed across your screen.

**HINATA SHOUYOU: Good night [Name]-chan ~ ! :D Sleep well!**

A grin lit up your face. He really was the sweetest guy you’d ever met. You couldn’t even wipe the smile off of your face as you shot a **good night ^^** of your own off. Maybe you were getting attached to him in a way that transcended friendship.

“No!” you chided aloud to yourself, shaking your head furiously. You weren’t a kid anymore; you weren’t going to get led around by your own messy feelings and crushes. No—the Volleyball Club trusted you to be professional with their secret and act as a proper manager. There was no room for you to be crushing on your cute, attractive, nice, kind classmate Hinata Shouyou…

You plopped down onto your bed forcefully, still holding your palms to your face to try and cool the blush off. Staring at the ceiling, you couldn’t help but picture his bashful grin every time you closed your eyes. Jeez, what was wrong with you…?

Your phone buzzed again and you sat up quickly, wondering if Hinata had said something else. But it was actually a Facebook notification, which surprised you, since you only ever really used the social networking site for school. You tapped the banner and realized it was a friend request from **Date Masamune**. His profile picture was an artsy photo of his silhouette near Mt. Fuji, and it betrayed none of his face, but you remembered who he was. He was the one from the training camp who had a friendly smile. You also remembered Hinata dragging you away from him, but surely, nobody could be _that_ bad. Maybe Hinata’s childhood memories of Date were muddied by time. From what you gathered, Date had been a nice guy. A message popped up once your acceptance went through.

 **DATE MASAMUNE** : hey, [Name]. dyou mind if we talk? :)


	7. 7 - Bow-Wow

It was a bit of a chilly night. You drew your dark windbreaker tightly around yourself and kept your hands stowed in your pockets while approaching the empty dog park. Everything looked a lot different and creepier at night and you couldn't help but check over your shoulder every now and then with the hope that you wouldn't actually see anything. Wispy tree branches looked like demon hands reaching out to you, and shadows made everything elongated and shrouded from sight. When somebody tapped you on the shoulder, you couldn't help the scream that tumbled out of your mouth.

"Wh-whoa, [Name]-chan! It's just me, Hinata!" He jumped back, seeming just as startled as you.

"Oh, Shouyou! Ugh, it was so quiet that I thought... well, nevermind. Sorry about that." Embarrassed, you felt your face warm in the cold air and pressed your palms to your cheeks to fight off the blush.

"I'm sorry that we're late. Tsukishima always drags his feet." Hinata spared a moment to roll his eyes. He stepped aside and you saw everybody else of Karasuno's Boys' Volleyball Club filing into the dog park's fenced in perimeter. A couple of your seniors at the front looked particularly bouncy and waved enthusiastically. You waved back with a smile and then turned back to Hinata.

"It's fine. But anyways… what's this 'initiation' that you guys keep talking about?" You were way too curious to wait any longer. All day, you couldn't help but look forwards (with a bit of anxiety) to now. You'd resisted the urge to google-search 'werewolf initiation???', because you'd probably scare yourself out of it. But it seemed that Hinata still wasn't ready to give answers.

"You're going to find out soon, so don't worry about it," Hinata said, just as cryptic as he'd been yesterday. He shifted his weight and you realized that he seemed to be buzzing with restlessness. He was often like this in class; the boy could never sit still, spinning a pencil or bouncing his knee or tapping the table. Maybe it was his boundless energy, and maybe it had something to do with the moonbeams infusing everything with pearly white light. 

"[Name]-san, you're here. Great." Sawamura Daichi trotted up to you with his hands in his pockets to shield them from the cold. At his side was Sugawara Koushi, who grinned at you reassuringly. 

"We haven't dealt with a non-shapeshifter knowing about us in a while, so pardon us," Sugawara said apologetically. You were quick to shake your head in face of his overwhelming politeness.

"It's fine! I'm really interested, even if I don't quite understand you guys. Thank you for inviting me even though I'm not a part of your world." You bowed your head almost frantically, feeling a bit guilty that they were showing you all of these hidden secrets that you were never meant to see. Sugawara merely laughed lightheartedly.

"No need for thanks! You're family now, [Name], so don't worry about a thing. Well, you'll be an official member of the pack _soon_."

"It's been a while. The first-years were the last ones to go through this, huh? All the way at the start of school?"

"Yeah," Sugawara mused back. "I can't believe we've almost graduated."

He seemed to have completely forgotten about you as he spoke with Sawamura. Just watching them interact made you fully understand what Hinata had said about werewolf mates. _Deeper than soulmates._ Their every motion seemed to reflect each other's, and they harmonized so well together that you almost saw them as one entity.

Sawamura took you out of your thoughts by delivering his broad hand to the top of your head, ruffling your hair playfully. You jumped in shock and touched your head as he began to jog backwards, joining the rest of the boys and two girls that had gotten together into a circle.

"Ready for initiation, [Name]?" he called, sharp teeth gleaming in his impish grin.

"N-no? Wait, what's happening?!"

They didn't give you any more hints than that. You looked around, expecting something to happen, when suddenly Sawamura was gone. It was like he'd shrank out of existence. You stepped forwards in concern but then saw Sugawara put a hand up in a 'goodbye' motion, his body folding into itself with dough-like malleability. Before long, a grey-coloured Retriever shook Sugawara's shirt off of himself and the grin was strikingly human-like. A tiny patch of dark fur mirrored the mole under Sugawara's left eye, and bright brown eyes sparkled intelligently.

More dogs began to pad forwards around you. A slim, serious looking Great Dane-Tsukishima? Yachi's signature hairtie had transferred over onto her Yorkshire Terrier form and she yipped at you excitedly-you could almost hear her saying _come on, then!_

"O-okay… this is cool and all," you breathed after getting over the initial wave of wonder and amazement. You knelt in order to be their height and frowned. "But I can't understand you guys, so…"

An orange Pomeranian butted its way around the others and stood in front of you proudly. You hadn't seen Hinata in this form for a while, and he looked a lot bigger than you'd remembered. The memory of carrying him to your house in the rain seemed so far away. He wagged his fluffy tail once in a gesture that looked a bit like _lean in closer_ , so you did. 

The rest of them crowded in closer, closing you into a fluffy circle. An onlooker would think you were a mighty Dog Whisperer or something weird like that. Nervously, you looked deeper into Hinata's brown eyes, hoping to find some semblance of communication that wasn't in Dog. They gleamed with a sense of mischief. He blinked, and you slowly closed your own eyes, breathing in deeply. You were hesitant at first, but then decided to let go of your uncertainties-as they kept saying, you were one of them, and you had to trust them. At least, that was what you hoped Hinata was trying to say to you. You almost felt Hinata's presence in front of you, as real as sight-

And then you suddenly felt something cold and wet press against your nose.

"Ah!" you yelped, taken aback by the sudden sensation. You jerked back and realized a Boston Terrier had nudged in front of Hinata. His nose twitched with satisfaction and a delighted bark reminded you of Karasuno's perky Guardian Angel. 

"Woof!" A couple of them barked simultaneously with the same tone of exasperation, and you figured that Nishinoya had jumped the gun. You couldn't help but laugh as Asahi, the largest-a Mastiff-batted Nishinoya with a firm paw. So, initiation was nose-booping. And to think that you were afraid.

The rest of the pack diligently lined up single-file and pressed their nose to you. Some got a little intimate with it and lapped your cheek with their tongue, tickling you into bouts of uncontrollable giggles. You murmured thanks after each one. At the end of the line was Hinata, whose tail had drooped with clear annoyance that he had been shoved to the back.

"Hey, Shouyou." You dropped your voice to make the conversation more private, even though that didn't do much against everyboy's heightened sense of hearing. "I know you can't talk back to me right now, so just listen, okay?"

He cocked his head and nodded agreeably. You smiled gently.

"Thank you. For letting me be a part of this. I'm really happy."

You leant forwards and pressed your nose to his before he could, beaming into it as you let your eyes flutter shut. The fur around his nose twitched and you could almost see him hyperventilating in your mind's eye. When you re-opened your eyes, he was looking at you in a total daze, his expression glazed over and goofily lopsided. He shook himself out of it once you leant away and gave you a meaningful bark.

A Doberman trotted over deliberately with a stick in his mouth, and you realized why you were really here-you were the only one around with opposable thumbs. But you obliged. Although your throwing arm was growing a bit sore, the sight of your friends racing together as dogs after a stick made it all worth it. You kept touching your nose as you waited for them to bring it back; Hinata's had been the only one that was warm.

Your smile was stupid-looking, probably, but you didn't quite mind.

\---

Today  
 **[Surname] [Name]:** Sorry for leaving in the middle of our conversation. I was busy ^^;  
 **Date Masamune:** no problem, [name]-chan. working hard~? aah, wish i could be there to help you take off some stress.  
 **[Surname] [Name]:** It's no big deal hehe;; don't worry about me.  
 **[Surname] [Name]:** Oh! I wanted to tell you that I got invited to a volleyball training camp in Tokyo again! It was lots of fun last time, so I'm really excited to go! ★~  
 **Date Masamune:** hm… ur too cute, [name]-chan. I might just be unable to hold myself back if u continue to act like this..  
 **[Surname] [Name]:** (((( ;°Д°)))) Stop saying I'm cute Masamune-san,, it's embarrassing~~.  
 **Date Masamune:** hey, date's fine.  &im just speaking the truth lol.  
 **Date Masamune:** and that training camp wouldn't be next week, would it?  
 **[Surname] [Name]:** Wow, how'd you know? Are you going too, Date?  
 **Date Masamune:** yep. i'm gonna be there with my school again. it's like the first time we met… must be fate. right, [name]-chan?  
 **[Surname] [Name]:** Lol. Maybe.  
 **Date Masamune:** can't wait to see you again. 


	8. 8 - Au-Au

You had practically force-fed Hinata ginger candies before the ride to Tokyo in the hopes to prevent a repeat of last time. Luckily, fortune seemed to go your way. Unlike the previous trip, the ride was a lot less awkward. That ‘initiation’ had helped you cement your feeling of belonging, and you even found yourself belting along to Takeda Sensei’s folk sing-a-long. Hinata was by your side, bouncy as ever with his overflowing energy, and you really didn’t think you’d ever been happier before in your life.

The bus made it through city limits a half-hour earlier than last time, coasting through clearer highways and lucky green lights. There was still quite a bit of time before the first meeting was supposed to take place, and matches were going to played later in the evening once the travel grogginess had been shaken off. 

The gymnasium was located a few minutes away from a shopping district. Tempted by the shops lining Tokyo’s infamously crowded streets, everybody scattered right away. You made to help unload the bus, but Coach Ukai quite literally shooed you off, offering a knowing grin.

“Go and have fun. Don’t worry about this just yet!”

With your schedule clear, you suddenly began to realize just how good of an opportunity this was. You and Hinata had been let off-leash (for a lack of better word choice), and all of your pack-mates that were prone to teasing had already gone off to explore. It was just you and the Pomeranian. All alone to do whatever you wanted.

It started to make you as nervous as you were excited. You’d never really been alone with anybody, let alone Hinata in a big city before. The most intimate moment you’d spent with him was when you had to usher him into your room when he was still in his dog form. You doubted that he even remembered that, but you couldn’t help but cherish the memory of hustling in the rain with him in your arms.

“S-so,” you stammered, feeling obliged to say something first. “Where do you want to go?”

“I’m okay with anywhere you want to go,” he replied amiably, but suddenly looked off in a direction as he spoke. You followed his gaze and saw a pop-up karaage shop, with customers lining up past the shuttered counter. You bit down a smile and tilted your head to it.

“Then how about we get something to eat, first?”

“Really?!” His head shot up with excitement like a dog’s ears might perk up into the air, and you couldn’t stifle a laugh.

“Of course.”

The both of you ordered. His portion was enormous, but you didn’t expect anything otherwise. You and he walked together as you ate off of the skewers. The sun was only just starting to set, casting a much-needed coolness over the orange-dyed streets. You and Hinata were walking close together to avoid getting separated in the swarms of people, and you could feel the edge of his sleeve barely brush against your arm every so often. Maybe you were just imagining every touch at this point, but each one made a chill rocket down your spine. 

“Um… [Name]-chan, do you mind if I ask you something?”

The question was a bit sudden, but Hinata’s voice sounded oddly serious, which was pretty rare from him outside of volleyball games. A flash of nervousness struck through your heart in a cold electric shock, but you swallowed past the lump in your throat to nod.

“Y-Yeah, of course.”

“Well… let’s talk here.” He slowed to a stop and moved into a small alley, gesturing for you to follow. The trains blew past ever so often, blasting you both with wind and screeching noise. Your hair flung around your face as you waited for Hinata to continue. Each second seemed to crawl past at an agonizingly slow pace. What could Hinata need to ask you that he couldn’t seem to say outright? He seemed to be avoiding your eyes too, looking aside while scratching the back of his head anxiously. Things were either going to go extremely well or extremely poorly. He opened his mouth, and unable to bear the apprehension, you shut your eyes—

“[Name]-chan!”

The voice wasn’t his. You turned and then gaped, seeing none other than Date Masamune (the boy; not the ghost of the dead samurai) beaming down at you. He continued as if it was no strange occurrence to be hanging out in a secluded alleyway with you and Hinata, and even went so far as to plop a large warm hand on the top of your head.

“ _Knew_ I smelled you. The chicken karaage really helped, too. Anyways, Shou-chan, I’ll be taking her along.”

“…and why would you be doing that?” Hinata seemed to have lost all patience and skipped any confrontational accusations, moving right into open hostility. Your hairs felt like they were standing up on your skin when you saw Date shrug, and suddenly you were trapped as he threw an arm around your shoulders to hug you close. 

“‘Cause she’s my mate now. That’s why.”


	9. 9 - Grr

A whole slurry of emotions shot through you, but the aftertaste of despair remained once the confusion and anger drained away. Date’s arm was loosely curled around you like a snake wrapping around prey, slowly tightening and bringing you closer. Before you knew it, your palm was on his chest to balance yourself, and his chin rested atop your head. 

“See you, Shou-cchi,” Date sang out.

“W-wait!” you managed, finally remembering to speak up for yourself when he started to lead you away. “What do you _mean_ by that, Date-san?!”

“Didn’t you hear me?” His attractive face tilted to the side with confusion. He smelled distantly of firewood, and his body—warmer than the average human’s—made you break out in a sweat. This close up, you felt the unnerving need to step back, but his hold kept you pinned in place. “We’re mates, [Name]-chan. I knew it the moment we met. We’re destined to be together forever.”

“B-but!” you stammered dumbly, so flustered that you couldn’t even manage a coherent sentence that expressed your overwhelming emotion of _uh, no we aren’t?_. Hinata closed the gap as Date stared down at you, clearly expecting a different response. Suddenly, you felt another set of hands on you, making you uncomfortably hot as you got sandwiched between the two werewolf bodies. Hinata’s grip was tense.

“Let her go, Date.” 

You had never seen Hinata so serious before. Sure, he got into a different mind-set whenever he played in a volleyball game, but this was beyond that. His hand was stiff on your arm, as if he was genuinely using all of his might to hold something back. His brown eyes burned brightly, looking almost orange in the fading sunlight.

“Didn’t you hear me?” Date finally broke eye contact with you and looked up to glower petulantly at Hinata. “[Name]-chan and I are meant to be.” He emphasized this with another tug, making you stumble deeper into him and farther away from Hinata. 

“That’s not what mates are!” Hinata snapped, refusing to let go of you. “You and your mate swear a life-long devotion to each other. You can’t just make [Name]-chan your mate if she doesn’t want to be!”

“Right!” you managed fretfully, spurred on by the passion driving Hinata’s voice. You nodded, feeling each bob of the head brush against Date in some way. “I’m sorry, Date-san! You’re very nice and all, but… I can’t just agree to this. So if you could please let me go…?”

“Do you want to fight me for her?” Date sneered, ignoring you completely. “You _do_ remember that I’m a German Shepherd, right? But it’s not like you or I can transform right now either.” The silent taunt of _I have fifty pounds and something like a foot over you so you’re definitely going to lose you orange shrimp_ was loud enough, and you winced. Insults to Hinata’s height got him riled up, and with him already agitated, who knows what he’d do? You hoped that he at least had the smarts to avoid a physical altercation with Date, but—

“Fine,” Hinata growled, accepting the fight. Somehow, you expected that to happen and couldn’t even be that mad about it.

“W-wait!” You panicked, feeling Date’s arm slip away from around you. He shoved you behind him. You stumbled, catching yourself against the alleyway’s wall just in time to see Hinata crouch in a volleyball player’s ready position. “Hinata, Date, _no_ —”

It was too late, and you helplessly watched Date’s fist collide with Hinata’s jaw. Date was tall, but athletic and limber, managing to side-step Hinata despite the latter boy’s famous speed. Even though only a few seconds had passed, you felt like you’d watched Hinata get beaten down into submission for a wartime, and your heart broke. You couldn’t just sit around and let this happen—especially not because of you.

“Stop!” you shrieked, the word’s force carried by the screeching wind from the train down the block. The two boys finally turned to look at you, fists clenching each other’s shirts. The _keep out of it, woman!_ glare was mirrored on both of their faces, but you refused to give up. Your hair flung around your face wildly and your fists were clenched. Date’s brow arched with mild confusion.

“Chill, hon. I’m not actually going to kill him or anything. Just teach him a lesson ‘s all.”

“Don’t call her that!” Hinata roared, tearing himself out of Date’s hold and flinging himself at Date’s waist. He was much smaller and couldn’t move Date much, and it looked like a puppy trying to bother a hound. It was like David and Goliath—only, Date didn’t seem to be the type to go down from a rock to the forehead, and was probably going to end up winning. You squeezed your eyes shut and took a deep breath. You’d need it. Bracing yourself, you dived right into the middle, blocking your face with your arms to shield from any wayward blows.

“Hey, hey! Girl, what the _hell_? Get out of here!” Date yelled, but you swatted at his face. They backed up from each other reluctantly while still trying to find a way around you, like magnets trying to get to each other through a petty obstacle. Carefully, you managed to put two arm-lengths between him and Hinata.

“He’s right, for once,” Hinata spat, the glob of spit bright red. “You need to get out of the way, [Name]. I won’t have him disrespect you like this.” Hinata got up from his kneeling position and wiped his nose, which was beginning to bleed, and smeared more blood across his upper lip. He looked past you to his opponent, as did Date, who was clearly trying to figure out how he could lift you and cart you somewhere else.

“I won’t be _anybody’s_ mate!” you shouted firmly, looking both to Hinata and Date. The two boys had open mouths full of protests, but finally shut up when watery tears welled in your eyes. You wheeled to glare at the taller one, who had crossed his arms over the other. “I like you and all, Date-kun, but please don’t fight over me. I don’t know you that well. But Shouyou… he takes care of me. He’s a little slow in his studies… but he makes up for it with his energy. And his positivity, and his determination! I admire him so much and just being around him makes me happy. That’s why…” You trailed off, realizing you had talked for so long that both boys were staring at you with glazed-over confusion. The mortifying burn of a blush attacked your face, but you didn’t move from your spot. You met Date’s eyes determinedly, feeling Hinata’s on the back of your head.

“So that’s why I can’t agree to be your mate. I’m sorry.” You bowed shortly and then warily straightened to gauge his expression. Your body was tense in the case that Date decided to turn his aggression onto you—but to your surprise, the boy was relaxed, sighing loudly as he ran a hand back through his dark hair.

“Man, why does this always keep happening to me? Every time I go for a girl she’s totally in love with some other loser!” He dropped his arms and met your eyes, but they were less hostile and held begrudging defeat. “Fine then, [Name]-chan. But if you ever regret your choice—which you should, because it’s the wrong one—you know to call me.” He leant to the side to peek behind you and made a dirty face. “You still hit like a girl, Shou-chan.”

“Whatever,” Hinata muttered back nastily. Date shrugged and then turned tail, stowed his hands into his pockets, and waltzed out of the alleyway. It was oddly peaceful now; tiny specks of stars were beginning to show in the pastel lilac of twilight sky.

“Are you okay?!” you asked hurriedly, turning around to tend to Hinata. His face was already starting to swell up, just like it did whenever he took one of Asahi’s mighty spikes to the face. Luckily, his nosebleed had stopped, but a couple telltale droplets of dried blood speckled the front of his shirt.

“Y-yeah! Of course!” He seemed oddly chipper after getting that bad of a beat-down, the pitch of his voice one octave too high. He was red in the face, but it was patchy along his neck, and didn’t look like anything serious—rather, he just looked like he was embarrassed about something.

“Are you sure?” you fretted, a bit skeptical. “You got hit pretty badly. And it was my fault…” You lowered your gaze in shame. “I’m sorry.”

“It wasn’t your fault!” He reassured quickly. “It was only Date’s. But it’s okay. I don’t think he’ll bother us anymore.” Hinata seemed to be worrying over you now, and you laughed, unable to help it. He was just such a genuinely good soul. ‘All dogs go to heaven’, huh? You could see why Hinata deserved to—he was sunshine embodied, and that warmth radiated in all ways. 

“Oh my god, we’re twenty minutes late!” you realized with a jolt, whipping your wrist up to check your watch. “Coach Ukai is going to be so mad at us—we should start heading back now!”

“Wait, before that—can I just ask you something? Really quickly?”

You were still stressing out over having lost track of the time due to the impromptu cat-fight (or… dog-fight?) and bounced on your heels impatiently. “Yes, of course. What is it?”

“Did you mean what you said?”

“What?” 

“You know… when you said I make you happy. And all that other stuff.” He was scratching the back of his head profusely and staring at the ground, his eyes flicking up to yours every so often to peek at your expression. You blinked, remembering just how much you had gushed over Hinata in the heat of the moment, and felt your neck prickle with warmth. Despite wanting to drop down a hole due to your own self-consciousness, you sucked down your embarrassment and nodded shyly.

“Yeah. I really meant it.” You said it quietly, too awkward to own up to your own feelings right now—but Hinata had a dog’s hearing and perked up. 

“I feel the same way about you! When Date said that he was making you his mate, I just…” He ground his teeth together and then shook his head. “Never mind. I’m just super glad I know how you feel about me.”

“Me too.” 

You couldn’t wipe the dumb smile off of your face. Not even after Ukai lectured you for being irresponsible and making everybody worry; not even after you had to explain that a big scary guy from Oshu (not the dead samurai) came and beat up Karasuno’s shortest middle blocker. Knowing that you made Hinata as happy as he made you was enough to charge you with an abundance of emotion—and after you settled down for a bit and had the time to sort it out, you couldn’t deny it any more. It was definitely love.

He probably shouldn’t have jumped right into a game after getting tossed around, but his ‘dogged’ determination finally swayed Ukai into letting him onto the court. The last training camp wasn’t exactly one that glittered in gold—Karasuno had suffered a lot of losses. Even though it’d been fun and a great experience, the lack of wins didn’t exactly make the team’s self-esteem skyrocket or anything like that. Yet Hinata seemed to be playing exceptionally today, nailing receives and spikes, and even Kiyoko—who was score keeping and more familiar with the game and team than you—was bewildered by the 25-10 score.

“Did you see that last spike I did, [Name]-chan!?” Hinata whooped as Karasuno, high on their victory, slowly filed off the court. “I didn’t think I’d hit it, but I totally did!”

“You all did really well—especially you!” you beamed back. There was something tugging on the back of your heartstrings as Hinata laughed, towelling off his face.

“Right, well, I felt like I absolutely had to win since you were cheering me on.”

“I’ll always be cheering you on, so you don’t have to worry about that.”

He grinned widely. “Hey. Since I won, you should get me a prize!”

“A prize?” you repeated, thrown off. You frowned guiltily. “I don’t think I have anything…”

“I’m just kidding! I’m kidding, really! Don’t worry about it.” Hinata waved you off, and you knew that he genuinely hadn’t meant it, but you couldn’t help but feel that he’d been right—after all, he’d played as the ace today, and even got into a fist fight for your honour. What could you give him as a reward…?

Your lips pressed the warm skin of his forehead before you could actually stop yourself. Your body had sprung itself forwards like an eager, pent-up spring. Jerking back, you covered your mouth with your hands. Oh, _no_ you did _not_? But you did. 

Before you could begin your long-winded apology, Hinata let out a shriek that echoed around the gym, fishing in even more bewildered stares than usual.

“That’s it!” he shouted, taking no heed to the amused onlookers. “I’m going to win _every_ single practice game this training camp, [Name]-chan!”

He was positively bouncing off of the walls and you couldn’t help the tiniest sigh. Underneath your fingers, you hid a smile. Dogs were very treat-driven, after all—and who were you to say no to those puppy-dog eyes?


	10. 10 - Bark!

June twenty-first rolled in so quickly that you could hardly even believe it. Talk of Hinata’s birthday had buzzed amongst the Karasuno pack for a long time in advance—Tanaka and Nishinoya had wanted to pretend that everybody had forgotten, whereas the less mischievous ones had argued that it’d break Hinata’s heart. Tsukishima suggested that Hinata was too dumb to remember his own birthday, warranting him a slap on the arm from you. In any case, you all decided to surprise him with a party during morning practice. They shuffled the planning responsibilities onto you, and the suppressed smile on Kiyoko’s face told you that they were hoping to see something happen during Hinata’s ‘coming-of-age’. Maybe _you_ wanted to as well, but you couldn’t very well admit that out loud without nearing an emotional melt down.

Ever since that little skirmish with Date in Tokyo, things had been… fine. ‘Fine’ being that nothing was different, which was fine, but not… great. Was it greedy of you to hope for a little bit more with Hinata? You still had yet to outright admit your feelings to him, but you didn’t want to say something that outrageous if it had even the tiniest chance of damaging your friendship. You didn’t exactly have the courage to brave it out and just confess, either. So you threw yourself into throwing the perfect birthday party instead, hoping that those efforts might translate into change. 

In the end, there were thankfully no hiccups. The decorations went up beautifully, Hinata was totally blown away with genuine surprise, and everybody chattered peacefully as they snacked on the cake Yachi had baked herself for the occasion.

“Hey, [Name]-chan!” 

You perked up as Hinata trotted over to you, his hands behind his back. You smiled instinctively, your thoughts spinning out of control before you could manage a ‘hello’ back.

“Happy birthday, Shouyou-kun!” you spat out hurriedly, ducking your head a bit as you tripped over your own words. Even though it was his birthday, tournaments were coming up, and there’d still be practice in the gym. But Hinata was such a volleyball fanatic that playing was a birthday gift in of itself. You were clearing away the decorations and hugged an armful of streamers tightly to calm your nerves. Just two friends having a chat, right? Friends!

“Thanks for the birthday party. It was you, right?” he chirped, not seeming to catch onto your jittery nerves.

“Yeah! But Yachi-chan and Kiyoko-senpai helped me out a lot.”

“I thought so. Anyways… ta-da! I got you something.” He revealed his hands with a flourish, showing a small palm-sized box in one. Your heart thudded in your chest with excitement, but you squashed it down quickly, not wanting to seem greedy for wanting to take it so badly. 

“Thank you… but it’s _your_ birthday!” you protested. “What are you doing, getting _me_ a gift?”

“Just open it,” he simpered, clearly pleased with himself after seeing your reaction. Still completely winded by Hinata’s own selflessness, you did as he asked and opened the box with shaky fingers. There was some newspaper covering the top, so you pulled it aside, and then cocked your head to the side.

“It’s a… dog tag?”

“Yeah. I know it’s kind of cheesy, but I’ve got a matching one!” He pulled a chain you hadn’t noticed out from under his shirt and handed the tag to you so that you could read it. Your heart stopped in your chest when you read it. It had your name neatly engraved onto it.

“So even if we’re apart, I’ve always got a part of you and you have a part of me.” He was scratching his ear furiously and his face was mottled red, but he fought past his embarrassment to continue. “I’m not going to force you to be my mate or anything, especially when it hasn’t been a long time since you’ve known what’s happening. And then there was that whole Date thing. But I really… I really believe in soulmates. And I hope you do, too. Wherever you are, I’ll love you!” He clenched his fist around the dog tag with your name on it. Here you were, fretting about saying _I like you_ , and Hinata had just jumped the gun and said that he _loved_ you.

Quietly, you took the necklace out of the box and turned it over, revealing Hinata Shouyou’s name. Wordlessly, you strung it around your own neck and smiled at Hinata.

“I think I believe, too.”

You kissed the tip of his nose. And even though the metal of the tag warmed in your hand, there was no greater gift he could give you than absolute loyalty and unconditional love.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ik what ur thinking.... if karasuno's mascot is a crow why do they turn into dogs..... and the answer is.... dogs r cuter than crows and i figure kissing a bird isn't as romantic lmaO yeah anyways thank u for reading ! i hope the sunshine floof ball made you smile a little. :)

**Author's Note:**

> Read Elsewhere: https://goo.gl/Rxjd8z


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